Wildfire disasters: implications for rural nurses

As natural disasters are increasing globally, nursing's role in responding to disasters is evolving. Disaster nursing has emerged as a specialty that focuses on the care of groups and communities during disaster response. The role of rural nurses in disasters is less well defined.

A review of peer-reviewed literature combined with the International Council of Nurses framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies was conducted to understand the roles and functions of nurses in rural areas that experience disasters. The authors' findings from investigating the effects of four wildfires in rural Canadian communities are also discussed.

Six major themes derived from our wildfire studies were generated within the context of nursing practice and are useful in the preparation of rural nurses involved in disaster management and recovery. This adds to the current literature which by and large has not addressed nursing in rural catastrophes.

Well-prepared and educated rural nurses who combine theoretical knowledge with their understanding of a rural community potentially can reduce the impact of a disaster. Other nursing roles include mentoring nursing students in disaster preparation and assisting in initiatives to address community recovery in the aftermath of a disaster.